Life is a precious thing. No one notices this fact until they are in a situation where their life could possibly be taken away. Not knowing when you will lose a loved one is sad, but it is even sadder to think that they could leave without you saying you love them or goodbye. Leading up to this moment, I had taken my family for granted, and the possibility never occurred to me that in just a single moment they could be gone. It’s quite ironic because on that very day before the incident occurred, I came across this quote for a religion project, “Be grateful for every second of every day that you get to spend with the people you love. Life is so precious”(Mandy Hale). This quote exemplifies how we should walk through life knowing that every second, minute, and hour that we are still here is a gift and should not be taken lightly. What I have learned from this experience is that sadly, no one ever truly learns life lessons until something happens. That’s what happened with me. March 31st was the day my mother could've been taken away; it was the day I realized how much appreciation I should have for the lives of the ones I love.
       

It was a calm Friday night, and for hours I had been watching Live NOPD unknowingly that my life would change within minutes. It was late, and I could smell the sweet popcorn that my aunt was making in the kitchen, just feet away. My grandma was sleeping soundlessly in her room, and I could feel the soft warmth of my dog, Oreo, also asleep on my feet. Then, at exactly 1:03 am the house phone rang, and all I could hear was the shrill sound throughout the house. I got up with haste, ran into the kitchen, and picked up the phone. My heart stopped as all I heard was my mother’s screams from the other end of the call. I tried to calm her down, but I realized I couldn’t even calm myself down. I stumbled on my feet, feeling my adrenaline kicking in as I ran to my aunt. My heart was racing, and all I could hear was her telling me how she was unable to move her shoulder. As all this was happening I felt my throat swell, and breathing became an afterthought as I begin to realize the present situation. I could hear the blaring sirens coming through the phone, and I felt relief that help was there. My aunt hung up the phone and went quickly to wake my grandma. In seconds all three of us were in the living room, and we realized the substantial problem: we had no way of getting to her. After contemplating for a while, I ran back to my room, grabbed my pink phone, instantly downloading Uber. My aunt and I began to pack bags since we had no idea of knowing how long we would be at the hospital. Within minutes we had an Uber on the way and bags packed for the gruesome night ahead. Roughly five minutes later a blue damaged Jeep comes to a halt in my front yard, and we run to the car wanting to be with my mother as soon as possible.  Finally, once we walked into the hospital and I saw that my mother was okay, I finally felt relief. She looked so broken, and all around me was a multitude of others who were broken also. Grief and anguish was all I felt as the cold, bitter hospital air passed through me. All I smell was disinfectant, and I wrinkle my nose as I go to sit by my mother. She's crying, and I see her arm in a blue sling and her hand wrapped up in gauze. After about an hour of sitting in the waiting room a old, stout nurse comes and brings my mother to a room. Sitting in those hard, white chairs for eleven hours to hear any news was grueling. Then a dark haired, tall man walks out and tells us that we would be able to go see her. She had white tape and gauze all over her body because of the many cuts from the accident. After we got her papers signed, we were finally able to leave. We packed up all of our stuff and I flung my brown bag across my shoulder, ready to leave. My mother is in her hospital gown, and we all look awfully disheveled as we walk out the huge sliding doors of the hospital, ready to go home.
       

In conclusion, I think this was possibly the best and worst life lesson I have ever experienced. Best, because I am now able to appreciate life and have a completely different perspective on how precious it truly is. Worst, because this event came at me blindingly and I was unable to prepare, but now I realize that is exactly how all situations will occur in life. Walking out of that chemical smelling, heartbreaking hospital with my mother alive was probably the best thing that’s happened in my life. It was such an unexpected event, and I went through the night laughing, crying, and anticipating what would happen next on my show. I did not realize that in just minutes that my life would be changed, and I would now have an entirely new perspective of life and its worth.